Salt Lake City to Test Curbside Glass Recycling Program

Salt Lake City neighborhoods will have the opportunity this fall to participate in a curbside glass recycling pilot program. The city hopes to eventually expand the program city-wide.

The new glass recycling program was recently approved by the Salt Lake City council and will provide an opportunity to test the demand for curbside service. The only current option to recycle glass is to take them to certain drop-off containers around the city. Soren Simonsen, district 7 representative, on the Salt Lake City Council, says there is significant interest in the city based on what they’ve seen from the drop off locations.

“It’s something we’ve been talking about for a number of years, how to develop a more available, accessible and robust glass recycling program. We had one in the city many years ago and it went away because it was very challenging,” says Simonsen.

The pilot program will be an opt-in service and will accept all colors of glass. The container will be picked up once a month for a monthly cost of six dollars. Debbie Lyons is the Recycling Program Manager for Salt Lake City.

“Glass has typically been a little more difficult for residents to recycle. So we’re just trying to make it more convenient. But we’ve had a lot of feedback from residents that they want it to be more convenient and collected from the curb,” she says.

Residents can go online to opt-in for the service at slcgreen.com. The program is expected to start in October.